Slip into the slow rhythm of Upper Egypt aboard the Al Kahila, a graceful floating hotel that carries you between Luxor and Aswan with time to spare and comfort in every corner. Days settle into an easy pattern: fresh coffee on a breezy sundeck, the muddy-green Nile sliding past mango orchards and mud-brick villages, then a short walk ashore to the colossal courts of Karnak, the columned nave of Luxor Temple, the twin sanctuaries of Kom Ombo and the near-perfect Ptolemaic walls of Edfu. Aswan reveals its softer face – granite islands, feluccas leaning on the wind and the sacred precinct of Philae. Back on board, cabins are cool and quiet, the pool is a welcome reward after a hot afternoon, and dinner comes with river reflections and easy Egyptian warmth. Book your cabin on the Al Kahila with Daily Pyramids Tours and let the current do the walking.
Step aboard the Al Kahila Nile Cruise for a river journey that pairs Egypt’s most storied monuments with attentive five-star hospitality and unhurried scenery. Choose between the 3-night sailing or the longer 4-night itinerary, each threading a course between Luxor and Aswan, and you’ll find the ideal rhythm of guided discovery ashore and restful comfort afloat.
Day 1: Arrival in Aswan – Aswan City Tour
You are welcomed at Aswan Airport or your hotel by a Daily Pyramids Tours representative who stays with you throughout the day’s touring. Settling into a private air-conditioned vehicle, you set off across the city, starting at the High Dam – a mid-twentieth-century feat of engineering that tamed the annual flood and, in the process, protected a chain of Nubian monuments from being lost forever.
Next comes the Unfinished Obelisk, still resting in the ancient granite quarry where a hidden fracture forced the sculptors to abandon it. Lying on its side, it opens a rare window onto the tools, techniques and sheer ambition of pharaonic stone-working.
A short motorised felucca ride then delivers you to Philae Temple, the island shrine of Isis that was painstakingly rebuilt block by block on Agilkia Island after the dam raised the waters. If time allows, you may add an optional sail around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract for a closer look at Aswan’s boulder-strewn river landscape.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant before you board the Al Kahila for check-in. Dinner is served on board, and the first night is spent moored in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
After breakfast on board, a private vehicle takes you roughly 45 km north to Kom Ombo, where the double Temple of Kom Ombo stands directly beside the Nile. Its uniquely mirrored plan honours two deities under one roof: Sobek, the crocodile god of the river, and Haroeris, the elder form of Horus.
You explore the paired sanctuaries, the pillared hypostyle halls and the ritual chambers before stepping into the small Crocodile Museum, where mummified crocodiles unearthed near the temple are beautifully displayed.
Following lunch at a local restaurant, you rejoin the cruise as it casts off for Edfu. The afternoon is pure river travel – sugarcane fields, riverside hamlets and sandstone bluffs sliding past the sundeck in the classic scenery of Upper Egypt.
An onboard briefing sets you up for the following morning, and the vessel moors overnight in Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
After breakfast, a horse-drawn carriage clip-clops you into Edfu town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus, widely regarded as the most completely preserved ancient temple in Egypt.
Inside, you pass between soaring pylons, cross vast columned halls and read the crisp reliefs that recount the mythic combat of Horus and Seth alongside the ceremonial life of the Ptolemaic priesthood. Because so much of the structure survives intact, you can climb through nearly every original level, including the roof terraces.
Back on board, the cruise turns north for Luxor and lunch is served as you sail.
On arrival you visit Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument shaped over generations by rulers including Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its stately colonnades, open sun-drenched courts and processional avenue lined with sphinxes evoke the ceremonial pulse of ancient Thebes. The Al Kahila moors overnight in Luxor.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
After breakfast and disembarkation, you cross the river to Luxor’s West Bank, the great necropolis of ancient Thebes. The morning begins in the Valley of the Kings, where three included royal tombs open onto vividly painted walls and the sacred texts that were meant to guide each pharaoh safely through the afterlife.
You then continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, an architectural tour de force set against sheer limestone cliffs and dedicated to one of Egypt’s most formidable female rulers.
The final stop is at the Colossi of Memnon, two vast seated statues that once flanked the entrance to a long-vanished mortuary temple. After lunch, you are transferred to Luxor Airport or your hotel for onward travel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 1: Arrival in Luxor – East Bank Exploration
Your journey begins as you land at Luxor Airport or step off the train, where a Daily Pyramids Tours representative is waiting to greet you. A private air-conditioned vehicle takes you straight to the Al Kahila for a smooth check-in.
Once settled, you head out to the Karnak Temple Complex, the vast sacred city of Amun that was enlarged, embellished and re-inscribed by generation after generation of pharaohs across some two thousand years – the largest religious structure ever raised by any civilisation.
From there you continue to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom jewel long connected to Karnak by the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant during the day, and you return to the ship for your first night on board, moored in Luxor.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: West Bank of Luxor – Sailing Toward Edfu
After breakfast, you cross to the West Bank of Luxor for a guided tour of the Valley of the Kings, a hidden desert wadi that shelters more than 60 royal tombs, each painted with dazzling scenes of the ancient Egyptian afterlife.
The tour continues to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, cut in dramatic terraces against the cliffs and dedicated to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh.
A brief pause is made at the Colossi of Memnon, twin seated giants that mark what remains of Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple.
Lunch is enjoyed at a local restaurant, and you rejoin the Al Kahila as it slips its moorings and heads south towards Edfu. Overnight is spent on board while the ship sails through the Nile night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The cruise ties up at Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage rattles you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
This astonishingly complete Ptolemaic sanctuary is devoted to the falcon-headed Horus and stands as one of the most intact ancient temples anywhere in Egypt.
Back on board, the ship continues to Kom Ombo, where you step ashore to explore the singular double temple shared between Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, an elder aspect of Horus.
Its symmetrical layout and edge-of-the-river setting mark it out as one of the most distinctive stops along the Nile. Lunch is served on board as you sail, and the vessel continues towards Aswan.
Overnight is spent on board in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
The morning opens at the High Aswan Dam, a modern feat of civil engineering that reshaped Egypt’s farmland and water security by giving rise to the vast expanse of Lake Nasser.
Next comes the Unfinished Obelisk, a colossal shaft of granite abandoned mid-carve inside its bedrock quarry – a rare, intimate look at how ancient stonemasons worked.
A motorboat then whisks you across to Philae Island for a guided visit to the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary that was carefully relocated stone by stone after the dam was built.
Following lunch at a local restaurant, you enjoy a traditional felucca sail around Elephantine Island, gliding under canvas past granite boulders, palm groves and everyday river life.
You return to the Al Kahila for your final night on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
After a final breakfast on board, you check out of the cruise. A private air-conditioned vehicle is waiting to transfer you to Aswan Airport or the train station in good time for your next journey.
Meals: Breakfast
At Daily Pyramids Tours, all prices are quoted in US Dollars (USD) unless otherwise specified. However, we gladly accept payments in other major currencies such as Euros (EUR), British Pounds (GBP), and more, based on the official daily exchange rate on the payment date.
Our prices reflect current market conditions, seasonal fluctuations, and service availability, so they may change without prior notice. Once a deposit or full payment is received, your booking price is locked in and guaranteed.
What’s Included in Our Packages:
Please check your specific booking confirmation and itinerary for exact inclusions and exclusions.
Holiday Supplement:
A 25% surcharge applies to all Nile Cruises and tour packages booked during Christmas, New Year, and Easter holidays due to peak demand.
To ensure a smooth booking process with Daily Pyramids Tours, our payment terms vary depending on the service type:
After payment, you will receive written confirmation, a tailored itinerary, and travel documents via email. Receipts for all payments will be provided.
We understand plans can change. Our cancellation terms are:
Refunds, when applicable, are processed within 14 business days of receiving your written cancellation notice. Some cruises or hotels may have stricter cancellation policies, which will be clearly communicated in your itinerary.
At Daily Pyramids Tours, we welcome families and offer the following children’s pricing:
Discounts apply only when children share accommodation with two full-paying adults. Note that certain Nile Cruises and luxury hotels may have different policies or restrictions for young children, which will be detailed in your itinerary if relevant.
Some special experiences are optional and not included in standard packages. You may book these in advance or arrange on-site (subject to availability). Examples include:
Optional tours are payable in USD or local currency (EGP). We recommend booking in advance, especially during peak seasons.
While our packages are comprehensive, travelers should budget for:
We advise carrying small amounts of local currency (EGP) for convenience, especially for tipping and shopping at local markets.
Tipping (“baksheesh”) is a customary way to show appreciation for good service in Egypt. Though not mandatory, it is widely appreciated:
Tipping is generally not included in your package price. We recommend carrying small USD or EGP bills for tipping convenience.
Fares for a Nile cruise swing with the length of the sailing, the standard of the vessel and what’s bundled into the package. As a general guide, expect to pay somewhere between $600 and $900 per person for a 3-4 night voyage aboard a mid-range to luxury ship, while extended itineraries or premium boats with more elaborate facilities sit above that band.
The prime season for a Nile cruise runs from October to April, when the days are pleasantly warm and the light is kind for sightseeing. The peak summer stretch of May to September is best avoided, as inland temperatures can soar and make touring the temples uncomfortable.
Absolutely. A Nile cruise pairs sweeping river scenery with expertly guided visits to Egypt’s iconic temples and royal tombs, all delivered from the comfort of your floating hotel. It is a rewarding, richly cultural way to travel – and one of the most relaxing ways to see Upper Egypt.
Swimming directly in the Nile is not advised. Water quality varies, currents in places are stronger than they look, and cruise operators generally do not permit passengers to swim in the river itself – onboard pools are provided instead.
Days on board and ashore call for casual, comfortable clothing in lightweight, breathable fabrics that keep you cool in the sun. Smart casual works well for dinners and evening entertainment, and modest attire that covers shoulders and knees is respectful when visiting temples and other historical or religious sites.
